A Visionary In The Profession Of Public Relations

Patrick Jackson was a founder of the firm Jackson Jackson & Wagner and a visionary in the field of public relations. Early on in his work with Edward L. Bernays, Harold Burson and others, he recognized the powerful impact the profession could have on society by using behavioral-based strategies & techniques. Intuitively, he knew that building awareness and shaping public opinion were steps in the process … but that behavior change & reinforcement had to be the end goal.

Pat was instrumental – through his writings, charismatic public speaking and one-on-one discussions – in influencing a whole generation of practitioners and moving the field from publicists to professionals.
Although Pat rarely liked to talk about himself, preferring always to listen to and learn from others (one of his more admirable and envied traits), a favorite story of his was how he began practicing public relations – relationship building as he called it – at the tender age of 15 when he collected for the Grand Rapids Press in his home state of Michigan. He knew even then that the relationships that are built by our organizations at basic levels are the relationships that sustain and help our organizations thrive.

Pat spent most of his career encouraging others to raise their sights for the profession and to contribute to organizations and society in general. “Who better than public relations professionals for this task?” he would challenge. He taught us that public relations professionals have the skills for building consensus, deciphering stakeholder needs and bringing communications philosophies to the management table.

Pat preached his wisdom wherever he could, whenever he was invited, to whatever audience he could find. In 1980, the year he was President of PRSA, Pat traveled to every state in the country, giving more than 250 speeches that year alone to PRSA chapters and PRSSA student chapters. His ability to tailor the message to an audience was legendary. He will be remembered as a leader who inspired and motivated practitioners to go out, try again, do better.

For 25 years he edited pr reporter, a publication that tackled the tough public relations challenges, and showcased best practices in the field. Weekly, Pat would write from the road, until the wee hours, to help bring readers a clearer view of the changing world of public relations.